While most dogs happily welcome new additions to the family, precautions should be taken in order to ensure the safety of your new bundle of joy and create a harmonious household.

Here are some tips to prepare your pooch for the arrival of your new bub and help them embark on a loving friendship with one another.

Make sure that your dog is well trained

It is very important that your dog is obedient and follows commands (i.e. ‘sit’ and ‘stay’). If your dog has some trouble obeying you, it would be a good idea to take them to training and/or socialising classes before the arrival of your new baby. This way, you can trust your furry friend to be consistently obedient around your newest family member. In preparation for your new arrival, you should also encourage good behaviour around the baby equipment.

Introduce your new baby with care

It’s a good idea to let the excitement of your new bub die down before introducing them to one another. For the initial introduction, choose a quiet room and sit down on the floor with your baby in your arms. Have another family member lead the dog into the room on a leash. Make sure to talk to your dog in a calm, happy voice to make the introduction with their new friend a fun experience. It is important to ensure your dog is being obedient. Let your dog sniff the baby if they wish, and remember to reward your pooch for good behaviour! Repeat this sequence a few times to ensure a positive relationship between your dog and new baby.

Maintain a sense of routine

While the first few weeks with a newborn can be disorientating, it is important to try to maintain a sense of routine with your dog. Continue to pay attention to your pet, and reward them for their good behaviour. This will help your dog feel secure and allow them to relax around a new addition to the family.

Make interactions a positive experience

Your dog will be more inclined to welcome your new bundle of joy in the household if you involve your baby and dog in fun experiences together. Take baby and dog for a walk or get them together to play a small game of fetch.

Supervise your baby and dog together at all times

It is crucial that you never leave your baby and dog unsupervised together. Also remember to keep your baby off the floor when the dog is around. No matter how obedient your pooch is, many dogs can attack when they irritated or threatened. Maintain strict supervision of interactions between your child and dog until you are confidant that both your child and dog are of an age where they understand how to play gently with each other—and even then it pays to keep a close eye.

Teach your baby how to play with your dog

As your baby grows older, it is important to teach your bub how to play nicely with your dog (i.e. not to yank on their tail or hit/kick them). It’s extremely important to introduce these lessons early on to prevent your child unintentionally provoking your dog.

Introducing your baby to your dog and establishing a friendly and loving relationship will take some time and require a bunch of patience and consistence! However, it will be worth it!

You never know, your dog might become so close to your new bub that it starts copying its cries, like Mishka in the video clip below: